


When the Earth Moved

by Geminia (Geminia905)



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-05-25
Updated: 2000-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-09 12:30:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geminia905/pseuds/Geminia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A reply to an IWC challenge: What happens when Hercules and Iolaus are caught in a natural disaster?</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the Earth Moved

Hercules couldn't believe it. In only a few seconds so many lives had been changed forever. He patted the earth down on the grave and stood up. He brushed a tear away from his eye as he looked down at the three graves.

The oldest of the graves: the boy. He'd only lived a few short months before the plague struck. The demigod could remember the joy that surrounded his birth. The first son of his best friend. He'd looked so much like his father: fine blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The son of Zeus had been honored when the child was given his name.

Then came the day he'd arrived at his friends' home to the sound of the mother's anguished wails. It had been a devastating time, but with help from Hercules' family the young couple had pulled each other through the heartbreak.

The second grave: Ania. The beautiful brunette had captured Iolaus' heart the moment he'd spotted her. Hercules could remember the time he'd come home to be best man at their wedding. He hadn't been able to understand how his friend could marry a woman who couldn't cook, sew, or manage basic farmwork, but as soon as he'd seen them together he'd known they were made for each other. Ania was one of the sweetest women he'd ever met, but she also proved to be the only person who could control her headstrong husband. The few times he'd seen her angry, Hercules had been glad he wasn't in his friend's shoes.

The second pregnancy had seemed such a blessing after the pain of their first loss. Ania and Deianeira, who was expecting their third child at the same time, had delighted in spending days on end together. They'd even gone into labor at the same time, much to the distress of both fathers. The healer had been very relieved when they'd both been taken to Alcmene's so that attention could be paid to both without the inconvenience of a mile-long commute.

Deianeira had delivered a healthy little girl, but their celebration had been cut short as the healer had made a very loudly protesting Iolaus leave the room where his wife lay. Hercules had gone to his friend's side and waited with him. He'd then held him while he grieved for his lost wife. The demigod had never been able to stand seeing his friend in pain, but so much pain in the course of a year. . .

Now, here he stood again. Four years later and another fresh grave. . .a hole in the very earth that had claimed its victim the day before.

* * *

The day had started out promising. The weather was perfect and the two friends had been planning to spend the morning fishing. Naturally, something had to come up to throw their plans off.

Iolaus had been re-stacking his firewood when Hercules arrived. One look at the demigod's face and the blonde had realized the fish would be in no danger from them this day.

"I take it we're not going fishing," he said simply.

"I'm sorry, Iolaus. The animals are acting very strange this morning and I now have a fence to repair. I managed to get them corralled, but that fence has to be mended before nightfall. How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow works. I'll just have to settle for some hunting today. Of course, _you_ get to tell Cassi." The hunter raised an eyebrow and smirked at his friend.

"Iolaus- That's not fair."

"I think it is." The blonde turned toward the small house. "Cassi!!"

The little brunette appeared at the door and, seeing Hercules, a big smile came across her face.

"Uncle Herc!" she cried, running out and flinging herself in his arms. "We going fishin' now?"

Hercules cast a look at her father, who just gave him a 'What're you going to do now?' look. The demigod returned a look of his own and Iolaus had to surpass a giggle as he correctly summed up the message behind it.

"Sweetheart," Hercules turned his attention back to the little girl, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm afraid Uncle Herc can't go fishing today. I have a lot of work to do back at my house." The tiny brunette gave him a pout that would put Aphrodite to shame, her big blue eyes clearly showing her disappointment in his answer. "I'm sorry. I promise. No matter what, we're going fishing tomorrow." He leaned toward her, conspiratorially. "And we'll teach your daddy how to fish. You know he's not very good at it." He gave her a wink, receiving a giggle.

"Hey!" Iolaus' indignant voice cut in, just before he picked his daughter up. "Uncle Herc's just jealous because the only way he can catch a fish is to bop it with a stone. We'll show him how to do it right. Won't we?"

Cassandra just giggled. Daddy and Uncle Herc were always being silly and she loved it.

"Well, we'll see about that tomorrow." Hercules leaned forward and planted a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Bye, Sweetheart."

"Bye, Uncle Herc. I love you."

"I love you, too."

That was the last time he saw the little girl alive.

* * *

Hercules placed the final log in place, stepped back to check that the fence was now complete, and used the back of one hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"I think you could use this," his wife's voice sounded from behind him as a flask of water appeared before him.

The demigod gladly accepted the flask, downing half its contents in one long gulp.

"Thank you," he said, then grabbed Deianeira and pulled her against him, kissing her deeply.

"So, you think it will hold this time?" the auburn haired beauty asked as she pulled away from her husband and looked at the fence.

"I hope so. I just wish I knew what spooked the animals." He looked out at the yard where Aeson and Clonus were playing warrior and little Ilea was happily playing with a doll, unknowingly playing the part of a damsel in distress in her brothers' game.

A mournful wailing sound caught their attention. They looked at their dog who was whining and barking, while pacing nervously backwards and forwards.

"What's the matter, Boy?" The demigod took a tentative step toward the upset animal.

That was as far as he got before he was nearly thrown off his feet when the ground suddenly began to move under him. He could barely hear his family's terrified cries and those of the panic-stricken animals over a loud rumbling noise that was gradually growing louder by the moment.

Reaching out, he caught hold of Deianeira and together they managed to stumble to their children. Gathering his whole family around him, Hercules moved them as far away from the corrals as possible. The whole earth seemed to be shaking around them.

No sooner had they moved away than the fence fell and the animals fled in panic. The barn and house were groaning and the demigod wasn't sure if they could withstand the vibrations.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the rumbling and shaking stopped.

The small family stared in shock at the aftermath. The fences had all given way, half of the barn had collapsed, and the whole farmyard was in disarray. Their house, fortunately, had withstood the assault with apparently only minor damage.

They were shaken, but unharmed. They'd been lucky.

* * *

Iolaus looked around him, his hunter's instincts telling him something was wrong. The woods were too quiet.

"Where are all the animals, Daddy?"

"I don't know, Sweetie." He had a bad feeling about that. "We're going home, Baby. Hold onto Daddy's hand, okay?"

He took the small hand in his own and they began to make their way back out of the woods. They had just come to the path that wound around the old crevasse when the shaking began.

Rocks and soil began to slide as the hunter realized with horror that the chasm was beginning to widen. He pulled his daughter into his arms as he fought against the almost fluid rush of sand and stone. He could see the end of the stony path only a few yards ahead. If only he could reach the more stable ground, they'd be safe.

At that moment, however, a small boulder dislodged and he only caught a glimpse of it before it struck his side, knocking him toward the abyss. It stunned him enough that it was a few moments before he realized he was sliding on his back, his arms empty.

"CASSI!!"

"DADDY!! HELP!!"

He quickly turned on his side, using his momentum to slide closer to the edge. He was able to stop himself by catching onto a rocky overhang. He moved himself over the side and looked down to see his daughter clinging to a small rock shelf just below him.

"I'm here, Baby!" The blonde braced himself against the rock and leaned down as far as possible, extending his arm. "Grab my hand, Cassi."

It took the little girl a moment to find the courage, but soon he felt the tiny fingers brush his own.

"I've got you. Daddy's got you," he cried as his hand clamped over hers.

Then the shaking seemed to intensify. He could feel the rock beneath him giving way and the sensation of falling. A scream was the last sound he heard before darkness descended upon him.

* * *

"I'm _fine_ , Hercules." Alcmene swatted her well-meaning son's hand away as it made its way once more toward the small bandage on her arm. "It's just a scratch."

"Okay. Okay. Fine." Hercules stepped back, his hands raised in surrender.

Alcmene looked around at the mess in her living room. Deianeira was sweeping up some of the broken pottery and Hercules had already taken care of the broken table.

"I suppose I was lucky all in all. I'm sure others came through a lot worse than just losing some mementos and an old table."

The demigod sighed.

"Yeah, we went through town on our way here. Half the buildings are in ruins. At least 5 dead, a lot of wounded..."

"Have you been to check on Iolaus yet?"

"No. I wanted Deianeira and the kids here with you first. I'll head over to his place now. I just hope he doesn't have to rebuild. He's had so much hardship already."

"Well, you tell him that if he and Cassandra need a place to stay, they're always welcome here."

In truth the older woman missed her adopted son and his daughter. After Ania's death, Iolaus had been lost. His grief had overtaken him and he hadn't felt able to care for the child. Alcmene had helped him raise the girl for the first two years of her life. They always made a point to see her as often as possible, but after the closeness of those first years, she'd found it hard to let them go.

"I'll tell him, don't worry."

He kissed his mother's forehead, told the kids to behave, and kissed Deianeira before heading off to Iolaus' farm.

* * *

Hercules looked at the small house and sighed. Part of the roof had collapsed, but it was repairable. His mother would be glad to have a couple house guests for a few days while he and Iolaus worked on it.

"Iolaus!" he called, expecting his friend to be nearby assessing the damages. No answer. "Iolaus?! Cassi?!"

Silence.

A twinge of fear hit him. What if they were in the house, hurt? He ran inside and sighed with relief when he found it empty.

' _Where could they be?_ ' He was about to head back home in case they'd gone to check on his family, when he remembered that Iolaus had mentioned hunting. ' _Well, if that's where they went, I know just where to look. Good ol' Iolaus and his favorite hunting spot._ '

He hurried down the path that led to the small copse a couple miles beyond the farm. As he neared, he saw the old chasm that lay at the edge of the woods had widened during the earthquake and the path was strewn with rocks and boulders of various sizes. There was no other way to get where he needed to go, so he'd just have to be careful.

He had just started across when he noticed something sticking out from under a boulder at the side of the cliff. Out of curiosity he took a better look and realized it was a bow. Horrified realization struck him at that moment. He moved carefully to the edge and looked down.

"Iolaus!"

He could see his friend lying on a ledge about 15 feet down. The blonde wasn't moving and was covered in blood, but he was breathing.

Hercules looked the situation over carefully and found that it was possible to climb down to his injured friend, but he'd have to be careful to avoid triggering any rockslides.

He moved carefully down the wall of the chasm, stopping more than once as a few pebbles shifted under his feet and holding his breath until he was sure no more were going to fall. Finally, he reached the ledge where his friend was lying, thankful that it was made of solid rock, and knelt beside him.

"Iolaus?" he touched his friend's face, trying to elicit some reaction, but there was nothing.

He began to check his friend's wounds. There was a gash in his hairline that was bleeding badly. Of course all head wounds bleed profusely, so it was hard to tell how bad it truly was. He quickly tore off a piece of his undershirt and wrapped it around the hunter's head to stem the flow of blood. As soon as that was done he began to catalogue the other injuries. His right shoulder was dislocated and the forearm appeared to be broken. There was bruising around his ribs and he was certain he had a few cracked, if not broken. The rest of his injuries seemed limited to cuts and bruises.

"Well, my friend, we had better get you back on solid ground. Of course, I don't think we'll be fishing anytime soon. And this time you can tell..." His blue eyes widened in alarm as he realized that Iolaus wouldn't have been out here alone.

"Cassi?!" He called out, looking up along the ledge above, hoping she was up there scared, but unharmed. "Cassi, Honey, it's Uncle Herc! Where are you?!"

No answer.

"Don't worry, Iolaus. I'll find her," he told his unconscious friend.

He started to stand up to get a better look, when his foot caused a shower of sand and pebbles to fall into the chasm. His gaze followed it for a moment and that's when he caught sight of the small arm hanging over a concealed ledge a few more yards down.

"CASSI!"

He hurriedly climbed down toward the child. As he got there, however, he realized why the ledge was so well hidden. A small pile of rocks had covered the child's body.

Tears filled the demigod's eyes as he reached forward with shaky hands to uncover the little girl. He silently begged his father to let her still be alive.

As the rocks were moved it became increasingly more apparent that his wish would not be granted. Finally her tiny body, twisted and mangled, was released from its prison.

"Gods, no. NO!" The demigod cried his sorrow to the sky. He gathered the limp body into his arms and held her close to his heart as he wept. He wept for the child who would never grow up. He wept for himself, having loved her as if she were one of his own. Most of all, he wept for his friend. The man who had now lost his entire family. How much more heartache could the hunter endure?

After a few moments, he pulled himself out of his grief enough to think about his friend's health. He had to get Iolaus off that ledge in case another quake hit and he needed a healer right away. The living had to be attended to first.

"I have to take care of your daddy, Sweetheart," he whispered into the unhearing ear. Placing a gentle kiss in the child's hair, he lay her body back down. He stripped off what was left of his undershirt and placed it over her body. "I promise I'll be back for you soon."

He climbed back up to the ledge where his best friend lay, unable to shake the feeling that he was abandoning the child. Gently picking his friend up in his arms, he slowly made his way back up the ravine.

With one final look down he made his way toward his mother's home.

* * *

"I'm sorry your daddy couldn't be here today, Cassi," he spoke to the grave the next day. "He still hasn't woken up. I know he's going to miss you very much. You were the light of his life, you know?" He had to stop as his voice gave out and he brushed more tears from his eyes. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell him..." he whispered brokenly.

After a few moments, he turned to the larger grave and smiled sadly.

"Well, Ania. You finally get to see the beautiful little girl you brought into this world. Take care of her."

He stayed a little while longer before heading back. He dreaded the instant when Iolaus awakened and asked for his daughter. How could he possibly tell his friend that he had lost yet another of his loved ones? Would that knowledge destroy the hunter?

He didn't know. All he knew was that his friend needed him. He would be there for him throughout this whole ordeal. No matter what, Hercules would see to it that his friend survived this latest tragedy.

The earth had moved, taking the life of the child. The demigod would move the earth, himself, to save the life of the father.

The End


End file.
